


Sleepless Nights

by alpacamybags



Category: Supernatural
Genre: Castiel in the Men of Letters Bunker (Supernatural), Castiel loves his family, Dad!stiel, Fluff, Gen, Mild Spoilers, Slice of Life, Team Free Will 2.0 (Supernatural), a dash of angst, ish, set season 15 i think
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-09-13
Updated: 2020-09-13
Packaged: 2021-03-06 22:47:22
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 736
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/26436661
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/alpacamybags/pseuds/alpacamybags
Summary: Sleepless nights aren't so bad when you've got family to spend them with.
Relationships: Castiel & Dean Winchester, Castiel & Jack Kline, Castiel & Sam Winchester
Comments: 2
Kudos: 39





	Sleepless Nights

Nighttime seems endless when you do not sleep. It was odd to Castiel, as a celestial being, that his sense of time could be so… human. 

Most nights there was work to be done. Driving, hunting, finding on the road lodging. Often they had to do research in the Bunker in an effort to subvert the latest crisis. 

Some nights, it was simply quiet. Those were the ones Castiel felt most content, where he could simply exist and be alongside his chosen family. 

There were the nights where he would sit with Dean, sipping alcohol and simply talking, sometimes watching the movies Dean deemed “classics.” Castiel loved to see the way the tension left Dean’s shoulders, the laughter twinkling in his eyes. It reminded him of better times, easier times. Sadly, those times were few and far between. Most nights Dean preferred to be alone in his room, and he had never been comfortable with Castiel’s presence while he slept. Perhaps one day he would be, but for now Castiel would be content with the painless moments in perhaps his most tumultuous friendship. 

Sam, however, had no issue with Castiel being nearby while he slept. He supposed it was because of the deep-set trust that functioned as a cornerstone of their friendship. He loved both Winchesters very dearly, but with Sam there was a pervasive ease he didn’t know if he would ever achieve with Dean. 

Years ago, Sam had allowed Castiel to recover in his bedroom from Rowena’s curse, introducing him to Netflix in the process. Sam was kind enough to allow this habit to continue, and they both came to deeply enjoy their viewing together. Castiel found that he loved documentaries, and Sam seemed to enjoy watching Castiel’s reactions to popular TV shows. Castiel was just glad that Sam was at ease enough to fall asleep next to him, the tension out of his muscles and a smile playing at his lips. He often worried that the Winchesters did not sleep enough. When Sam slept, Castiel would turn off the TV and move to a chair, reading any kind of book until Sam woke. He was especially fascinated by the Saturday Evening Post. 

Most nights, Castiel spent time with Jack, as he did not require much sleep. Those nights were by far his favorite. His love for the Winchesters was powerful, and it would never die, but with Jack… 

Castiel hadn’t known, had never thought he would ever understand the kind of love it took to be a parent. Pride and pain and such unadulterated love, pure as it could be. It was paradise and it was agony. It came with impossible worry and impossible joy. 

After losing Jack and getting him back, Castiel found he needed these moments. Reassurance that his son was safe. 

Jack was curious, so he would often ask questions about Heaven and history and listen to Castiel’s stories with awe in his eyes. Sometimes, they would take a book from the shelf of the library and read it together. Jack might even ask Castiel to read it to him, and Jack would lay on his bed and listen with his eyes shut, looking entirely content. Castiel was endlessly thrilled, since he knew it was what human parents did for their children. 

Other times, the two of them would play board games. Castiel often let Jack win, just to see the smile that lit up his face. They would sneak quietly to the kitchen and eat sugary cereal, with a tacit pact to play innocent if Sam noticed the box was lighter. They might even raid the stash of candy Dean kept hidden in a corner of the pantry that Sam didn’t know about.

Jack could confide in Castiel about his worries and fears, and Castiel did his best to soothe them. Every moment with Jack was a gift, filling a hole in Castiel that he'd never known existed. 

Happiness was a danger, but Castiel was learning how to enjoy the little moments he had with his family before he was gone for good. He could temper it every so often with the memory of his deal. A method of extending his life, albeit a painful one. 

He found he didn’t mind in the slightest. Because every moment of contentment was worth the thousand others of pain. 

Sleepless nights weren’t so bad when you had family to spend them with.


End file.
